Colon Cancer Question

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FrankC - 04 Feb 2005 11:36 GMT

Hello, I was diagnosed with colon cancer on the 10th January. I had an MRI
on the 20th January a colonoscopy on the 24th January and an ultrasound on
the 25th January. On the 31st I was told by the surgeon that, thank God ,it
had not spread and that it was small but because it was low near the anus I
would need a permanent colostomy. She has now referred me to an oncologist
for radiotherapy and possibly chemotherapy which she said would be for six
weeks but I have been told by his secretary that I won't see him until
possibly the 17th or 24th of Feb.It seems a long time to wait before
starting treatment and then apparently I have to wait another six weeks
after the radiotherapy before the operation. Has anyone else in the UK had
any experience of this?
Any help would be much appreciated Frank

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Dawn Morley - 04 Feb 2005 12:06 GMT

> Hello, I was diagnosed with colon cancer on the 10th January. I had an MRI
> on the 20th January a colonoscopy on the 24th January and an ultrasound on
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> any experience of this?
> Any help would be much appreciated Frank

My Dad also had colon cancer and yes, he waited quite a while before they
started any sort of treatment. I hope everything goes well for you.

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Simm Webb - 04 Feb 2005 13:29 GMT

>Hello, I was diagnosed with colon cancer on the 10th January. I had an MRI
>on the 20th January a colonoscopy on the 24th January and an ultrasound on
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>Any help would be much appreciated Frank
>

My wife was beginning to pass blood, and went to the hospital to have it
checked. They examined her and found polyps which they were able to
remove, but they recommended a barium enema and discovered a pair of
tumors about the size of golf balls. The next day we visited a surgeon
who read her xrays, and declared that the very next day she should be
taken into the surgery wing of the Cleveland Clinic, and have the
surgery performed immediately. My wife asked for a 3 day reprieve so
that she could celebrate her birthday. The doctor was emphaticly
against this. The next day the operation was performed, and 4 hours
later, the doctor came to me and announced that she had removed about 12
inches of transverse colon, and upon examination, the cancer had not
penetrated the colon wall. There was absolutely NO need for further
treatment. I would double check with another doctor with this, unless
the cancer is a type of cancer which is very slow growing, and poses no
risk. My wife had absolutely no further problems with cancer for the
rest of her life.

Signature

Finished my cancer,
Finished my heart problems,
Grateful to be back.

Eddie MD OTF

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FrankC - 04 Feb 2005 14:06 GMT

Thanks for the response I am getting a second opinion on the 16th of this
month.

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J - 04 Feb 2005 15:43 GMT

> My wife was beginning to pass blood, and went to the hospital to have it
> checked. They examined her and found polyps which they were able to
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> penetrated the colon wall. There was absolutely NO need for further
> treatment.

Well, the transverse colon is higher up where they can't do radiation therapy
first and since it hadn't broken through the wall, surgery was all that was
required. Dad only had surgeries.

Rectal cancer is in the final 6 inches of the digestive tract near the anus, so
his treatment will (probably) closely match Elsie's
There's a diagram here http://cancernetwork.com/myths/colon/Col02.htm
J

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Joe-46er - 05 Feb 2005 03:01 GMT

Wow! I wish my doc had me in surgery right after diagnosis. I had to
wait several weeks. Turned out to be stage 4. Ever since that time
I've wondered if my tumor had been removed immediately, whether I
would be stage 3. You've got a good doc.

>> My wife was beginning to pass blood, and went to the hospital to have it
>> checked. They examined her and found polyps which they were able to
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>There's a diagram here http://cancernetwork.com/myths/colon/Col02.htm
>J

_________________________________

"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

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J - 05 Feb 2005 08:41 GMT

> Wow! I wish my doc had me in surgery right after diagnosis. I had to
> wait several weeks. Turned out to be stage 4. Ever since that time
> I've wondered if my tumor had been removed immediately, whether I
> would be stage 3. You've got a good doc.

Very fortunate that she had the barium enema (and rushed surgery), since the liver sits right on top of
the transverse colon (where her tumours were)
J

> <snip>
> >There's a diagram here http://cancernetwork.com/myths/colon/Col02.htm

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Alf - 04 Feb 2005 15:22 GMT

Hi Frank

I was diagnosed colon cancer (Swansea) in Jan '03, with mets in liver.
Had transverse section of colon removed in March '03. When I commented
on the delay, surgeon said "No hurry" :c/ I'm now "in the clear" :)

Of course, every case is different, and talking to other people with
the same problem as yourself you sometimes wonder why they were
treated differently.

Hope things turn out OK.

Alf

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J - 04 Feb 2005 16:04 GMT

> Hello, I was diagnosed with colon cancer on the 10th January. I had an MRI
> on the 20th January a colonoscopy on the 24th January and an ultrasound on
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> after the radiotherapy before the operation. Has anyone else in the UK had
> any experience of this?

Sounds about right, Frank. A few weeks won't make a difference, though I
recognize the wait is difficult for the patient.
I expect that they would put a rush on it, if the tumour was found to be
larger.
Elsie had pre-operative chemo and radiation and a temporary iliostomy. (stoma I
think)

It's good you're getting a second opinion Frank, but please don't get into the
grasps of some doctors there who propose experimental (new) therapies. We've
just seen that with a prostate cancer patient. He tried to shortcut the process
and avoid surgery and radiation therapy. Now he's upset that he has to pay for
the "treatment" and it's not even proven, so it's hard to say if he'll get a
recurrence and have to go back and do the "tried and true". (waste of time and
money IMO)

The tried and true should closely match what's written here
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2934

Steph's sometimes here. He trained and worked in UK and is now in Canada, so he
can often answer treatment questions. (standards for both countries).

Stay with us, if it helps.
Or if you're still working, that might help take your mind off things while
you're waitng, but do let us know how it goes.

Best wishes and keep in touch.
J

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FrankC - 04 Feb 2005 16:53 GMT

>Thanks for the good wishes J.My second opinion is from a Professor of

Surgery at the Pelican Foundation where they specialise in surgery for this
cancer ,and is more about the type of operation I can have.I'm clinging to
the slim chance that I may be able to avoid a permanent stoma.
Frank

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J - 04 Feb 2005 17:31 GMT

> >Thanks for the good wishes J.My second opinion is from a Professor of
> Surgery at the Pelican Foundation where they specialise in surgery for this
> cancer ,and is more about the type of operation I can have.I'm clinging to
> the slim chance that I may be able to avoid a permanent stoma.
> Frank

Hello Frank,
A second surgical opinion sounds like a good idea to me.
Take someone with you to write what the surgeon says down or a tape recorder,
if allowed.
That way you can concentrate on what (s)he says and your questions.

One of mine might be, "how might what you are telling me change after radiation
therapy"?
Another: "how long after radiation therapy can the surgery be done?" (just so
you know how long a wait for the surgery and planning your work and/or
recreational activities around that time).
More:
"if they give me a late date for surgery, may I call your office and see if it
can speeded up?"
"which scans will you require after the radiation therapy?"
"how can I make sure they get (the results) to you in a timely fashion for our
next appointment?"
"may I see you again after I hear the plan from the radiation therapist?"
etc, etc.

I hope you won't have to have a stoma either. Hard for any of us to know.
Dad had to have "a bag". It was many years ago (and he lived far away so I
don't have the details), he blocked up, they did some procedure/surgery to
remove cancer. He blocked up again a year or so later and he had his colon
totally removed.

Dad was partially paralyzed and lived alone, he coped quite well with the bag.
I would choose inconvenience over survival. He did and died of other causes
many years later.

I also want to caution you not to get caught up in "altie lore". A Canadian, in
your situation did. He died, as I recall, just before Christmas. He too was a
"reluctant stoma" person, so chose the path of least resistance and believed
their claims. (there are kook claims on the 'net, sometimes posted here, and in
UK.) Please try to avoid believing their claims.
Please don't delay, go with what your experts advise. Please.
J

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FrankC - 04 Feb 2005 18:52 GMT

>Thanks for the advice J.I intend to go with the expert advice.The only

thing Im doing apart from this is juicing vegetables and taking vitamin
supplements to try and strenghten my immune system
Frank

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J - 05 Feb 2005 08:39 GMT

> Thanks for the advice J.I intend to go with the expert advice.The only
> thing Im doing apart from this is juicing vegetables and taking vitamin
> supplements to try and strenghten my immune system
> Frank

Hello Frank,
fresh veggie juice sounds good. do you put tomatoes in? For some reason,
lycopenes rings a bell.
I see them talk about it on the prostate cancer newsgroup, although one
said he was a tomato addict but still got prostate cancer, so if it's
supposed to a preventative, apparently it didn't work.

Whatever you take, Frank, make sure your treating doctors know. Some can
interefere with treatments, I seem to recall Steph saying.
all my best,
keep in touch,
J

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Steph - 06 Feb 2005 04:24 GMT

The wait of 6 weeks is irrelevant, so don't worry about it.
You should ask if transrectal excision and radiotherapy is an option. We do
that for suitable patients here in BC, and the results are very good

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